Stendal (dpa/sa) - Saxony-Anhalt's farmers are expecting lower yields for the beginning of the apple harvest than in the previous year. Specifically, one assumes a harvest of around 9,000 tons on the approximately 420 hectares of recorded cultivation area, said a spokesman for the state association of Saxon fruit on Friday. That's almost 3,500 tons less than last year.
Thus, one is well below the average harvest, said the spokesman. In particular, the heat and drought spoiled the farmers' prospects. In addition, many farmers complained about large crop failures due to sunburn on the fruit. A large part of the fruit is also somewhat smaller than average due to the heat and drought.
The share of apples from Saxony-Anhalt in the total harvest in Germany is quite manageable at less than one percent. According to the fruit association, every Saxony-Anhalter consumed an average of 22 kilograms of apples last year. With a population of 2.17 million, this corresponds to an apple consumption of almost 50,000 tons of apples. The harvest volume therefore only covers a small part of the demand.
